Forever Starts Tonight
by AllMyAprilShips
Summary: "I love you, April, I always have. I love everything about you. Even the things I don't like, I love. And I want you with me. I love you, and I think that you love me too...Do you?" What happens after Jackson's confession. collab w/claireelisabetta
1. Say It Loud

Hello Dear Readers!

All of us Japril fans have been dying on what will happen and everyone has their own prediction. Well...My friend and I decided to write a fic on how we would like the second half of S10 [and beyond] to go on. so here it is!

Collabiration with: claireelisabetta

Disclaimer: we don't own grey's or else this would happen

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**Chapter One **

**"Say It Load"**

* * *

Jackson kept seeing butterflies in his peripheral vision.

He was sitting in the steamy barn, pretending to listen as Stephanie babbled on next to him about how cute the wedding would be. He smiled halfheartedly at her as she clasped onto his arm like a barnacle, mumbling in agreement at her overexcited words. Jackson understood- after all, Stephanie had always been suspicious of Jackson's feelings towards the redheaded bride-to-be. With April married and out of the way, Jackson was safely hers.

April was getting married.

Jackson's stomach twisted at the thought. The idea that after that night, April would belong to Matthew Whatever-his-name-is made Jackson feel sick to his stomach.

He wasn't sure why everything was so _real_ all of a sudden. It wasn't as if Jackson didn't know that April would eventually walk down the aisle. In fact, Jackson remembered all too well.

_"You're getting married…"_

_"Unless you can give me a reason not to."_

Jackson cleared his throat, trying to push the thought from his head. He was happy, or at least he thought he was. Stephanie was great- she was hot, smart, and good in bed. What more could he ask for?

Jackson's hands couldn't stop shaking as music flooded through the room. He turned around, facing the door expectantly as the three bridesmaids slowly began to process to the front. Arizona, Meredith, and Cristina floated through the barn, outfitted in bubblegum pink dresses. Jackson would've smiled if he weren't feeling like throwing up.

The crowd let out a collected gasp as April appeared in the doorway, her arm linked in her father's. She looked beautiful- the simple white gown fitting her body like a glove, her shining red hair pulled up into a braided up-do. Every delicate step she took felt like a knife cutting into Jackson's heart.

Jackson fought to keep a strained smile on his face as April took her place at the altar. Jackson's mind wandered to his former mentor as the priest began to drone on. Mark Sloan's words echoed through his head as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

_I want you to promise me something._

Jackson tried to ignore Stephanie's happy sigh as April took Matthew's hands in hers. He felt like he was drowning- the simple act of breathing slowly becoming more difficult.

_If you love someone, you tell them._

He was vaguely aware of the preacher turning to the audience.

_Even if you're scared that it's not the right thing. Even if you're scared that it'll cause problems._

Jackson blinked wildly, trying to shake himself from the daze. He felt as if he couldn't control his body, unable to speak or move.

_Even if you're scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it and you say it loud._

The green-eyed man turned to the girl next to him, feeling a pang of guilt as Stephanie looked at him with worried eyes. "I, uh… I'm sorry," he breathed out before standing up. All attention turned to him as he stood, paralyzed in fear. He quickly sat back onto his seat, breathing heavily. His heart raced as April turned back to her fiancé, ready to finish the ceremony. _No_, Jackson thought, panicked, as he leaped back up.

_And then you go from there._

"I love you, April."

Hundreds of shocked eyes watched Jackson from his position in the middle of the aisle. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists, staring at April's wide eyes.

"I always have. I love everything about you. Even the things I don't like, I love."

The words came spewing from his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

"And I want you with me. I love you, and I think that you love me too."

He paused, trembling.

"Do you?"

It was a matter of seconds the attention in the room shifted to the shocked bride-to-be. April's mouth dropped at Jackson's confession, a small choking sound escaping her lips. Matthew stood dumbfounded, eyes flickering between his fiancé and Jackson. The redhead's wide hazel eyes welled with tears as she gasped for air. It wasn't long before the girl was sobbing. Arizona reached over to place a protective hand on the girl's shoulder, but April had already stormed off the altar and over to the green-eyed man.

He expected her to maybe kiss him, hug him, stand there and just look at him; but he never expected her to shove him back angrily with tears in her eyes. Memories of the storm all those months ago resurfaced as her tiny hands batted against his chest.

"Jackson Avery, you complete idiot!" she shrieked as she shoved him harshly. "You could have said this when I asked you, why didn't you say anything? It's my wedding day, you cow!" she exclaimed as she punched his chest. "Why now?" she asked softly, looking up at him through her dark lashes as mascara tinted tears fell down her face.

Her small body was quivering with frustration, angry that he had chosen this specific moment to finally confess his feelings. "Tell me!"

"April," he said calmly, catching her fist before it reached his chest. She froze, tears streaming down her face. The sound of her sniffles echoed through the room, interspersed with surprised whispers. "April…" he repeated quietly.

The redhead choked back a sob, looking up at Jackson with tears in her eyes before quickly pulling her hand away from his, hiking up her wedding dress and running out of the barn.

Matthew seemed to be in a daze- his eyes glassy and his mouth agape. Finally, he snapped out of it, the slightly confused expression making way to one of pure rage. He stormed down the steps, eyebrows knitted with anger as he walked up to Jackson, fists balled.

"What the hell, man?" Matthew bellowed.

Jackson steadied his shoulders, expecting a fight. He was surprised when Alex Karev stepped in between the two men, palms outstretched.

"Look, dude, what Jackson did was totally uncool," Alex said, facing Matthew. Jackson raised his eyebrows at the Pediatric surgeon, curious to see where he was going. "But come on, man. It's not his fault that your girl's not over him. You're a smart guy, I think you knew that already." Jackson was surprised- since when did Karev stand up for him?

A surprisingly broken look emerged on Matthew's face, replacing the look of anger. "Yeah. I knew. I just thought she would forget about it eventually," he remarked, more to himself than anybody else. He looked up, tears glimmering in his eyes as he nodded slightly to his groomsmen. They left their place at the altar, meeting him as he walked out of the back door. Jackson couldn't help but feel terrible- even though he hated Matthew for being with April, he was a genuinely good guy.

"Hey man, thanks for- ow! What the hell?" Jackson screeched when Alex delivered a solid punch to his chest.

"Really, Jackson? On her freakin' wedding day?" Alex admonished loudly, delivering another light hit.

"Well, it's not like I had it planned out, or anything!"

"Whatever. Just, don't screw it up this time, okay?"

"I'll try," Jackson replied sincerely. He was telling the truth- he would do everything physically possible to win April back.

"Seriously. And if you break her heart, I'll kick your ass."

Jackson couldn't help but smile. Alex and April had a weird relationship; even though they bickered all the time, he knew that they really cared about each other. "Yeah, I know."

Alex nodded, satisfied with the answer. He looked at Jackson, who was still standing in the middle of the aisle. "Dude, go get her!" Alex said, rolling his eyes for the second time that night.

* * *

April rushed to the room where she was getting ready an hour ago.

It was hard for April to believe that less than an hour ago, she was getting ready to give herself up to Matthew completely. Ready to put Jackson Avery behind, to accept that he would always be someone important, someone she will always love.

April reached behind her to pull down the zipper of the long white dress, but hands were shaking too hard to provide any actual use. April sat down on the cold floor, burying her tear-streaked face in her hands.

Why now?

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing Jackson. He had loosened the top button of his white dress shirt, revealing a strip of tanned muscle. April shot up, quickly drying her tears with her arm.

"April-"

"No you've said enough," she said, cutting him off midsentence.

"April, I-"

"Stop saying my name!" she yelled in frustration.

"Listen," Jackson pleaded hopelessly.

"No, you listen," April said, finally ready to talk. "I was ready. I was ready to let you go. I was ready to commit myself to a good man that loves me and worships me. A good man that does not think I am insane, who likes it when I babble who-who…" April ranted, new tears springing to her eyes. "And you…You, Jackson Avery." She stood still and looked at him "You are my best friend, you have been important to me for 7 years now. You are the man I chose to give my virginity to. The only man who knows every single part of me. I can't imagine a time when I didn't love you," April sighs, defeated. Feelings were rushing through her, finally coming to the brim. April felt like she was about to explode.

"I just-"

"No, I'm not done," April commanded. She shook her head angrily, trying to will away the tears seeping from her eyes. She covered her face with her hands as a burst of sobbing wracked through her body.

Jackson wanted nothing more than to go and capture her in his arms, to hold her as she cried, but he knew that he couldn't. April needed time to process what had happened, time to grieve the loss of her fiancé.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was was?" April asked, voice broken. "Every time I looked at you, I wanted to kiss you. Every time I looked at you, I felt like my entire world was slipping away through my fingers. You were_happy, _Jackson. You were happy with that intern. You were happy with somebody who wasn't me, and that killed me. Every time I saw you two, it felt like a stab in my heart. The awareness that you are about to loose something so important to you and there is nothing you can do about it? That was me for a whole year. I spent a whole year trying to pretend that I didn't need you. Because loving you Jackson, is subconscious. Loving you is like breathing, like blinking, like falling asleep. Trying to stop something that your whole body, your whole heart is telling you to do is impossible."

April collapsed into a chair, not trusting her legs to have the strength to hold her up. "But I had to, I had to because you were just some guy I banged in the bathroom, right?" April used the harsh words he had used on her after the storm.

Jackson swallowed the bile that rose to his throat at April's words. He didn't mean what he had said; he was just angry and hurt because April was engaged to another man. She told Jackson that she loved him, and then went back to another man as if nothing had happened.

"You picked him, you said yes to him and then you came to me saying that you wanted me. I figured you were just confused and having one of your neurotic episodes… You went back to him hours later, April!" Jackson exclaimed.

"What did you want me to do? Wait for you, watch you be happy with Stephanie from afar! I wanted to be happy too Jackson. I wanted to be happy. You left! You walked away when the results where negative saying it was a sign, mocking me like I was just another girl you slept with" April was now furious, her tiny body shaking with rage.

"I was in, I was all in and you were thanking God that you didn't have to be," Jackson argued, his voice rasing.

"I was happy we didn't have to have a baby that way. It didn't mean I didn't want those things with you, it just meant that I didn't have to explain to my parents how I broke my promise to Jesus and how I failed my boards because I couldn't get over it!"

"I always knew you blamed me, April. I always knew," Jackson spat out, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Shut up, Jackson!" April exclaimed, causing Jackson to step back slightly in surprise. "I don't blame you! I kissed you, I told you it was okay. I literally pounced you. I was on top. It was all me, Jackson, and I would do it again!"

Jackson and April stared at each other from across the room, a tangible silence filling the air. April spoke first, her voice almost silent.

"You moved on, Jackson. You slept with her. You stayed with her."

"Yeah well… You don't see me getting married" he remarked bitterly.

"You gave me your blessing! You practically forced Matthew on me!"

"Like anything I say would have changed anything," Jackson said sarcastically

"Do you see me getting married, you idiot?" she screeched, stomping her foot like an angry child.

Jackson suddenly felt stupid. He had pushed her towards Matthew, practically handing him to her on a silver platter. April had asked him for a reason, but he was too ignorant to give her one. Too ignorant to realize what he really wanted- her.

The fact of the matter was that their arguments didn't matter anymore. She had made her choice, she was standing in front of him.

Jackson walked across the room towards the sniffling girl, watching as she took a small step back. It didn't deter Jackson from caressing her face, his thumbs brushing the tears from her pale skin. His touch was gentle, loving. April couldn't help but shudder under his touch, a small part of her feeling like she was home again.

"I'm sorry," Jackson said quietly. "I'm sorry I made you the bad guy. I'm sorry that I'm so late. I never thought that I could feel this way about anyone. I never thought that we were more than just friends who had sex. But-"

"But you love me." April's eyes fluttered open as she completed his sentence.

"I love you," he repeated.

"I have tried to convince myself of the opposite for months now but… I love you too"

Jackson's heart fluttered at her confession, a smile forming on his face as he pulled the white veil off her head. His hand slipped to the base of her neck, gently tracing patterns into her exposed skin as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft, slow, so unlike other kisses they had shared before. Nothing about it was heated or quick. April sighed happily in his mouth, relishing in the feel of his lips and tongue. It had been so long since they had last been together, and both of them missed the feeling of each other's mouth. Jackson pulled away slowly, happiness evident on his face.

"So what do we do now?"

"_We_ do nothing, you sneak out of here and I'll deal with the fallout," April ordered. She held her finger up to his mouth, sensing that he was going to protest. "Jackson, I know that you want to help, but honestly the best way you can is if you leave. It's my wedding, and I will deal with it. You leaving is the best thing to do."

Jackson was reluctant to leave her clean up the mess that he created but he knew she was right. He kissed her one last time before heading towards the door. "Call me if anything-"

"Go!" she urged him, and he finally listened and walked out the door.

April took a deep breath and tried not to look so happy as she left the room a minute or two after Jackson to deal with the almost wedding

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	2. It's Always Been You

Hello Dear readers!

I wanna tank you guys for the support, all the favs, follows, and reviews you have left. It's what gets us going!

Happy reading

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

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**Chapter two: **

**"It's Always Been You" **

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Jackson was reluctant to leave April to deal with the mess that he had created, but he understood why it was for the best. He scratched his head with a smile as he walked towards his car, glad to have escaped without anybody noticing him. Well, almost anybody.

"Hey pretty boy, that was a bold move…It's nice to see that you do have balls after all," Cristina smirked, her words dripping with amusement as she leaned against his car, Meredith and Alex grinning at her side.

"Glad you enjoyed the show, Yang" Jackson responded, walking up to the drivers' side door. Alex was blocking the handle, preventing Jackson from making a speedy escape like he'd planned.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Alex asked, looking conspicuously at the barn behind him.

"Uh, no?" Jackson said. "I've got to head out before anybody decides to kill me."

"And here I was thinking that you had balls," Cristina lamented, earning a nudge from Meredith.

"We mean April," Meredith clarified with a sympathetic smile.

"She decided to stay back," Jackson explained, grimacing as Meredith's eyebrows shot up. "I wanted to handle it, but she said that I've done enough for today-"

"Understatement of the year," chuckled Alex.

"The point is, it's best for everybody if I leave. So, if you would allow me to get into my car…" Jackson trailed off.

"So what does this mean? I mean, are you and April back on, or what?" Meredith asked.

"Well, she didn't choose him." Jackson couldn't keep the pride out of his voice. Despite Mark Sloan's questionable moral compass and tendency to sexually harass his residents, he had some good advice in him after all.

"Look at you, all bright and happy," Cristina smiled. Jackson grinned back- she was right. For the first time in forever, Jackson was truly happy.

"Jackson?"

Stephanie's voice seemed to ring through the air. All four surgeons quickly turned around, greeted by the sight of a sniffling Stephanie and a supportive Jo.

"Can we talk?"

"Well, um, we're just going to head out…" Meredith said awkwardly, pulling Cristina's arm. "You know, to help April."

"What? I want to see this," Cristina protested, craning her head as Meredith dragged her towards the barn.

Alex nodded at Jackson, patting him on the back reassuringly as he walked over to Jo, taking her hand and following Mer and Cristina back to the barn.

"Stephanie, I'm-" Jackson's apology was interrupted by Stephanie's palm coming into contact with his cheek as she slapped him. He rubbed his jaw tenderly. "Ok, so I probably deserved that," he conceded. Jackson hopped back when Stephanie slapped him again.

"Yes, you do!" Stephanie shouted, fury evident in her eyes. "Why the hell did you bring me here? Why the hell did you _beg_ me to believe that it was over between you and April? That you didn't love her anymore? Tell me why, because I would _love_ to know, Jackson, I really would."

"Stephanie, what I did there had nothing to do with you. I'm so sorry that I put you through that, I'm sorry I didn't think of you. I came here to support my best friend when she got married. She wanted me to come, so I did." Jackson's own words felt cheap to his ears. He knew that he was making excuses, and that nothing could help make Stephanie feel better.

"Did you ever think that, hey, I don't know, you didn't want to come because you couldn't watch her get married?" Stephanie spat, irritated with her ex-boyfriends stupidity. "Jackson, how can you not know what you're feeling? Look, at this point, I don't care and I don't want to care. I'll go get my stuff out of your place. Don't come home tonight," she demanded. It was hard for her to believe that less that an hour ago, she was going to tell him that she loved him.

"Yeah, of course." It was the least Jackson could do. He could just check in at the hotel across from the hospital while she moved her belongings.

Stephanie turned away, sniffling before back around and facing him with teary eyes. "It's always been her, right?"

Jackson nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Always."

Jackson watched as she walked away, clenching his jaw before getting into his car and getting the hell out of there.

* * *

April's hands shook at the thought of facing her family and friends. She felt awful for what she did to them, what she did to Matthew. She knew that no amount of apologies could make up for what she did, but April had to talk to Matthew and tell him how she felt. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, she walked out of the rectory and headed out to see her guests.

"Duckie!"

April turned around to see Kimmie waiting for her. "What do you want, Kim?" April barked. The last person she wanted to talk to was one of her judgmental sisters.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," Kimmie said, taken aback by her sister's reaction. "That must've been tough."

April instantly felt bad for snapping at her sister. "Yeah. I, uh, I chose Jackson."

"I think we all got that one figured out," Kimmie said with a giggle. April couldn't help but laugh with her. The whole situation was so ridiculous

"I love him, Kimmie. I mean, I really love him and I have to trust that this is the right thing."

"April, you named a pig after him. If that's not love, I don't know what is," Kimmie responded. April looked down, and Kimmie understood why. "Hey, Apes, I know we're hard on you. But- and you can't tell Libby or Alice that I told you this- it's just our way of dealing with it."

"Dealing with what?" April asked curiously.

"You made it out, April. Sure, you used to be pretty weird, but you made it out. You're a surgeon, for God's sakes. You save lives every day. You're a badass."

April couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's word choice.

Kimmie smiled, placing a hand on April's shoulder. "April, you're beautiful. I mean, a freaking model just interrupted your wedding with a confession of undying love. You're smart, and you're stunning, and you could kick our asses any day." Kimmie was now crying and April wrapped her arms around her younger sister. "I think I am going to get a divorce," Kimmie choked out.

April pulled away in shock. "What?"

"He's cheating on me. I thought I could get over it, but…" Kimmie shook her head and dried her eyes. "Today you did what older sisters are suppose to do. You followed your heart, and even thought it was hard, you did it. So, I'm going to try it too. I'm going to go get my happiness and hopefully I will get as lucky as you."

"I know you will, Kimmie. I love you," April smiled tearily.

Suddenly, the sound of Matthew clearing his throat came from the end of the hall.

Kimmie looked at her sister with wide eyes. "Do you want me to handle that?"

"No, I'm fine. Can you get the family out?" April pleaded. Kimmie nodded, pulling April in for one last hug before going back to find the others.

"Matthew, I'm _so _sorry-"

"I know," he said calmly.

"I never meant to hurt you," April said, holding back the tears springing to her eyes.

Matthew smiled humorlessly. "See, that's the part that I don't get. April, if he hadn't stood up, I would have been married to someone who loved somebody else. How is that not hurting me?"

They stood facing each other quietly. April was sobbing, her face red as Matthew stared at her.

"I knew. I guess some small part of me just hoped that you would get over him." Matthew shook his head, a tear falling down his cheek as he looked up at her."It's always been him, this whole time, it's been him."

April couldn't do anything but nod. Matthew wiped his eye quickly, fighting to keep his voice even. "The ring."

April slipped the silver band off her finger, depositing it with a thud into his palm. "I love you, Matthew, it's just…"

"You love him more. I get it," Matthew sighed. "Uh, I'm going to go. So… take care," he said as they parted ways.

April felt awful. She had never wanted to hurt Matthew. All she wanted to do was go home, curl up on her couch, and cry. She looked up at the sound of shoes clicking on the floor, greeted by a smiling Arizona Robbins.

"Hey there, you okay?" Arizona asked sympathetically.

"No," she said with a laugh. "But I will be"

"That's the spirit!" Arizona cheered her on.

"How is everyone out there? Is it a mad house?" April asked fearfully.

"Actually, your sister was pretty forceful. Kimmie started screaming at everybody to go. It was pretty easy to see how you two are related," Robbins said, recalling the scene. "It was really entertaining. Hunt said that it seems that all the Kepners have trauma potential."

April giggled at the idea of Kimmie yelling at all of her friends and family. When it came down to it, she and Kimmie had the most in common. "Well, since they took care of that, can you help me take my dress off?" April asked. Arizona nodded, following her into the dressing room. Suddenly, a thought hit April. "Wait, if they're all gone, how will I get home?" April asked, panicked.

"Don't worry about it, Callie and I can drive you," Arizona said as she unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor. "Damn, April, look at those underwear," Arizona teased.

"Shut up," April said, reaching for her bag and pulling out the clothes she had been wearing earlier."I had different plans for tonight," she reminded her friend.

An evil grin spread across Arizona's face. "Hey, I don't mind," she teased, knowing that she would get a rise out of April.

"Arizona!" April admonished, dressing quickly. "Just pack up my dress, please!"

Arizona laughed and complied, folding the white silk and placing it into April's bag.

"Alright, let's take you home," Arizona said, wrapping her arm around April's shoulder.

"No, I can't go home!" April exclaimed, stopping dead in her tracks. When Arizona looked at her in confusion, April continued, "Matthew moved into my place a few months ago. I don't think he's there right now, but his stuff…" April trailed off.

Arizona nodded, deep in thought. "Maybe you could stay at Meredith's?"

"I'll just check into that hotel near the hospital. I don't want you and Callie going out of your way to drive me to Mer's."

"April, it's no problem at all. We don't want you to be all alone at a hotel," Arizona assured her.

"It's fine. I probably deserve it," April gave a small smile. She could see that Arizona was about to protest, so she continued, "Arizona, it's fine. It's what I want."

"If you say so," Arizona conceded, unconvinced. April just looped her arm in Arizona's, walking with the blonde to meet Callie.

* * *

Jackson sat on the hotel's large bed, absently watching the game. He couldn't help the doubts that crept into his mind- what if Matthew convinced April to marry him after all? Jackson sighed heavily, rolling onto his back. Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Jackson sat up quickly when he saw April's name on the caller ID.

"Hello? Did you marry him?"

Jackson smacked his forehead. He hadn't meant to ask, it just popped out.

"Um, no?" April replied from the other line. "Why would I?"

"Well… You didn't call and I just thought…"Jackson was too embarrassed to keep going.

"You were saying?" Jackson could hear the grin in April's voice.

"I just kept picturing you running off with Matthew. It was driving me a little crazy," he admitted. "I couldn't even watch the game!"

April's melodic laugh at the other end made him smile "What are you doing?" he asked, already feeling better.

"Oh, I was just taking a nap. I felt so emotionally drained and all I wanted to do was sleep. I'm sorry I worried you!"

"No it's fine." Jackson paused. "You don't regret your decision, right?" Jackson could barely recognize himself. Since when did he sound so neurotic and insecure?

"No, of course not! I was just so exhausted by the time I got to the Archfield, so-"

"Wait, you're here too?"

"Wait, what? You're here? What room?"

"1012," he replied, a smile growing on his face at the thought of seeing April again.

"I'll be there in 2," she said quickly before hanging up.

Jackson sprung up quickly, almost sprinting to the bathroom and brushing his teeth. He surveyed himself in the mirror, tugging on his shirt and making sure he looked good. "What am I doing?" he asked his reflection. Jackson never acted like this.

Jackson had to stop himself from running to the door when he heard a soft knocking. He beamed as he opened the door, revealing a sleepy April.

"April," he breathed.

"Jackson," she replied with a smile as she walked into the room.

"Your room is huge!" April exclaimed as she wandered the large suite. "Mine's like a closet compared to this," she teased.

Jackson grinned, following her as she paced around. He couldn't help himself from wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and breathing in the scent of her shampoo. "I missed you," he admitted.

"You just saw me a couple of hours ago," April murmured, returning the hug. It had been too long since she had felt his arms around her.

"You know what," he said teasingly, releasing her from his grasp. "Here I am, trying to be sweet, and you're just… cramping on my style."

"Alright, Jackson, I'm sorry I'm… what was it? Cramping on your style?" she laughed, making her way to the bed and sitting down.

"I really, really want to kiss you," Jackson said quietly as he sat next to her.

"I want to kiss you too," April smiled. Jackson took that as a queue to lean in, but April stopped him. "But we can't. I want to do this right this time, you know? I don't want to take any chances with us."

"Okay," he said, pulling back. "What does that mean?"

"That means that you're going to date me."

"That's what people do when they are getting to know each other," Jackson protested. "I already know everything about you."

"I know, but we never got to date. It's romantic. And, it will help us fall in love with each other even more!" April exclaimed.

"But you already love me, right? And I love you."

" I want you to take me on dates, and bring me flowers and surprise me. I want us to have what we never had because we skipped steps, and that's where we went wrong. Jackson, please," April placed her palms on the sides of Jackson's face, her thumbs lightly caressing his cheeks. "I want to do this right. It's important to me, Jackson"

"Alright, whatever you want," he oblige. As antiquated as the idea was, Jackson thought that it would be fun to take her out and show her off. "Can I still kiss you?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, you can still kiss me," she laughed.

Jackson wasted no time and pushed her against the bed, capturing her sweet lips in his. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her tightly against him. Jackson had never before believed in soulmates, but as the beautiful redhead kissed him back, he knew that he had found his.

* * *

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What to look forward to: Mama Avery making an appearance.


	3. Stupidity vs Bravery

IT'S BEEN FOREVER

I know

I'm sorry, but here it is so enjoy!

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Happy Reading!

* * *

** Chapter Three:**

**"Stupidity vs. Bravery"**

* * *

Jackson Avery knew that showing up the next day at work was not going to be easy. The only thing that spread faster than diseases at the hospital was gossip. It was a simple fact; Jackson wasn't surprised when he was greeted with stares and whispers the next day. He couldn't care less about what the others thought, the only person he cared about was April. It still felt so surreal- April chose him. Just thinking about it brought a smile to his face.

Jackson finished off his coffee as he walked into the conference room, prepared for a Board meeting. The other surgeons started clapping, smirks on their faces.

"Alright, Pretty Boy!" Cristina cheered, a mocking grin on her lips.

"Guys, let's be professional. Can't we try to forget it ever happened?" Jackson asked, trying to keep a straight face. In all honesty, he wanted to cheer along with the rest of them.

"Forget it ever happened?" Derek scoffed. "I don't think anybody will be able to forget that. God, I wish Mark could've seen that…"

"He would've been your cheerleader," Callie joked. She screwed up her face and did her best Mark impression- "C'mon April, choose my guy!" Her imitation was met with laughs by the rest of the surgeons.

"He's the reason I did it," Jackson admitted. "Before he… passed, he told me that if I loved somebody, I had to tell them. Because when he did it, it was already too late."

"I'll be damned," Derek said pensively. "I guess he did have some good advice in him, after all."

"He's still full of surprises, even from the grave," Callie said with a small smile, wiping the tear leaking from her eye.

Jackson just nodded as the room grew quiet. Mark and Lexie were missed, and he can't think of a future were they wouldn't be

* * *

April sat in her car, mentally amping herself up. She couldn't help but be nervous- it was the first time she would enter the hospital since the wedding. As hard as it sounded, she knew she had to do it. April took a deep breath, making eye contact with her reflection in the rear-view mirror. "Come on, April," she muttered. "You can do this." Exhaling slowly, she finally opened the car door and headed into the hospital.

April quickly ducked into the Attending's lounge, trying to find a respite from the staring and whispers. She was greeted by a smug looking Alex Karev and Miranda Bailey.

"Well, look who it is," Bailey commented as the redhead took a minute to rest against the door.

"Ha! Meredith owes me fifty bucks," Alex cheered as he saw her come in. "I knew you would come in today." Alex finished his coffee in one gulp before sliding up next to April. "So, did you and Avery have a busy night?" he leered, a grin on his face.

"Alex!" April screeched, slapping his arm.

"Karev, leave the poor girl alone," Bailey scolded.

"I'm just messing around," Alex rolled his eyes. "Besides, we all know it's true. Nice hickey, Kepn- ow!" he exclaimed as she swatted him once more. Smirking, he ducked out of the lounge before he could get hit again.

"You're a child!" April called out exasperatedly as the door swung shut behind Alex. She sighed heavily as she walked over to the coffeepot. Hopefully Alex wasn't an indicator of what was to come for the rest of the day.

"Don't worry about Karev," Bailey told April absentmindedly, her eyes never leaving the medical journal she was studying intently. "He's only being an asshole because he cares about you. Most people won't mention the wedding- they're too cowardly to do anything but gossip."

April furrowed her brow- was that suppose to make her feel better? "I was just hoping that nobody would mention it at all."

"Seriously?" Bailey asked, finally looking up and making eye contact with the redhead. "Jackson Avery interrupts your wedding, you leave your fiancé at the altar, and you hope that nobody will mention it at all? Listen to me, Kepner- what you and Avery did was incredibly stupid."

"Yeah, I know," April mumbled, staring at her feet.

Shaking her head, Bailey stood up and walked over to April. "But," she started. "It was also incredibly brave. You two love each other, and you didn't let anything get in the way of that." Bailey awkwardly patted April's shoulder before leaving the lounge.

Brave. April couldn't help but smile as she entered the bathroom and changed into her navy blue scrubs. Brave- she liked she sound of that. April walked out of the bathroom with a flourish, surprised to see Jackson sitting in the lounge.

"Jackson," she said, almost breathlessly.

"April," Jackson replied, her name rolling off his tongue like candy. When he stepped towards her, April couldn't help but step back. Her self control was pretty nonexistent around him. "What, are you scared of me now?" Jackson teased quietly, his eyes gleaming dark.

"W-what? No…" she answered nervously, painfully aware of how close his face was to hers. Their lips were mere centimeters apart, and April's eyes zeroed in on his mouth. His mouth… The way his lips moved against his, the sweet taste of his tongue- she couldn't resist him. Jackson left her completely vulnerable. Unable to think straight, move, or react at all. "Stop that," she said in a small voice. "Don't do that, it's not fair…"

"Only if you make your cheeks stop matching your hair," he said with a small smirk on his lips. He reached out to stroke her flaming cheek, feeling the soft, hot skin underneath his fingers. "Or maybe if you stopped looking at me like that," he continued, gazing into her wide hazel eyes. The eyes that he saw in his dreams. Jackson lowered his forehead to her and he closed her eyes breathing in her sweet and simple vanilla scent "Or maybe if you stop smelling like something I want to eat" His eyes met her again, and he could in her eyes that she really had no idea, she had no idea all the things she did to him. "April Kepner…" he said her name with laughter on his lips "What you do to me" his tone low and seductive.

April felt her lips dry and she breathed through the mouth as her nose was not keeping up with the fact that Jackson always took her breath away. She licked her lips as her hands move to the collar of his lab coat "Jackson… Someone can come in any second" She warned him but made no effort on pushing him away.

"It's not like they aren't talking already" He said using flawed logic which made her smile, he mirrored her actions.

"Jackson" She used a motherly tone on him sending him and knowing look.

"I know" he simply said as his hand moved to play with the soft red curls "I know.." He reluctantly pulled away.

April watching him pulling away and the air becoming lighter to breath. she swallowed hard and tried to regain composure. It was a good thing Jackson pulled away when he did because not soon after Dr. Webber walked in.

"Good, both of you are here" Richard said as he made his way to them "Both of you need to get out of here, I will make sure you guys are covered but you both better do a disappearing act and fast"

"Why?" April asked as she took her weight off the wall.

"Yeah what's going on?" Jackson eyes Webber curiously.

The door to the lounge opened to reveal none other than Catherine Avery "Richard Webber you are busted" Catherine said with one hand holding the door and the other one at her hip.

"Mom!?" Jackson had to physically take a step back, that was the last person he expected to see. He was use to his mother hopping on a plane when she feels like it but she always gives him a heads up.

"Dr. Avery!" April wanted to run out of the room, jump off the window and hope God gives her wing so she wouldn't crash. "What a nice surprise" April put on her best fake smile and tried to sound as excited as she could.

"I was just telling them how they should go look for you since you wanted to see them" Webber said trying to not look as guilty as he was.

"I am a lot of this, and a fool is not one of them" Catherine said walking in and closing the door behind her. She stopped in front of them and crossed her arms "April Kepner, I can't believe you almost got married and you didn't invite me"

"You're just so busy and I didn't want to bother you" April said trying her best to not make it as bad as it is.

"Mhmm….And what about you Jackson, I can't believe you stopped her wedding. I can't believe you didn't tell me that you had feelings for her" Her eyes now on Jackson.

"Really you can't?" Jackson said gaining slap on the stomach from April. "What!" he exclaimed innocently "Mom you would have meddled"

"Yes I would have, and this big scandalous thing would have been avoided because I would have fixed it or do you really believed you handled well?" she asked him with a wicked smile on her lips knowing that she was right.

Jackson opened his mouth to respond, but he had nothing, and he knew better than to argue with his mother. Because even if he was right, she was going to be at the end and there was not point. So her took a deep breath and did the only thing he could right now "… sorry"

"Don't worry, you guys can make it up to me by coming to brunch with me" Catherine responded.

the sound of a page filled the room as they all looked at their pager desperately hoping it would be theirs that was beeping. "Yes!" said April as she checked hers and saw they were paging her. She looked up to see everyone looking at her "I mean uh… I'm sorry, I have to go. Have fun!" she said putting her on her lab coat and closing her bag, before walking out the door April mouthed _'good luck'_ to him.

"So brunch" Said Catherine looking at Jackson.

"Do I really have a choice?" Jackson asked.

"No, I'm just being polite" Catherine smile at her son as she wrapped her arm around her son's. "I know just the place"

* * *

Jackson and his mother sat in a semi-crowded restaurant. Catherine was waiting 'tll they place their orders to finally grill her son "So are you going to marry her?"

Jackson almost joked on his orange juice as his mother asked her very loaded questions "Jesus… Way to break the ice"

"It is a legit question seeing that you stopped her from marrying her perfect match, according to what people say…" Catherine said innocently as she sipped on her drink.

"People don't know anything" he responded obviously bothered by the comment "If he was than April would have stayed with him" he could not help but get defensive. But this was his mom, the person who has always been there before April came a long. And as troublesome as she could be she loved him and he knew that. "I love her" he said shrugging and explaining himself to her. "I didn't know how much 'till …"

"Till you saw her walking down the isle with a beautiful wedding dress and you realized she was not walking towards you?" Catherine said finishing his sentence.

Jackson just nodded at her words and stayed silent for a while. At least she knows now and he didn't have to hide it. "Does it always feel like this? So overwhelming?"

Catherine could not help but smile at her son, her baby boy. Right now he resembled his younger self, when he first started talking about girls to his mom. Before he realized how much of a meddler his mother was."Love? Yes, it has a way of taking over you" Catherine reached to hold her sons hand and she gave him a wise smile "You know you've never said you loved a girl before"

"I know" Jackson said with a small laugh "because I haven't, not 'till now. I…I've had feelings for people before but it's different. Every time I see April I want to tell her, that I love her, I want to tell her because I don't want her to forget. I let her forget and looked what happened…"Jackson shakes his head with a chuckled "I sound so corny and… not myself"

"You are a man in love, love changes people" Catherine smiled, that's all she ever wanted for him, to find love and to find it in a good woman like April Kepner. "She is a good girl"

"She is infuriating, that's what she is" He laughed at the thought of her "Her OCD tendencies, and her way of assuming things without knowing that whole story. She also sometimes tend to drown in glasses of water you know, which is really funny considering she is a trauma surgeon"

"Yet you still love her"

"It's hard not to, she may have a hundred things wrong with her but she has a thousand things that are just…right, perfect even" Jackson said expressing himself at loud to his mom, who was enjoying every minute of it.

"So when did this all started?" Catherine asked.

Jackson could not help but smile thinking of that night before boards. Which was a mistake seeing that his mom was seeing right through him "The night before boards…"

"What happened that night that changed everything?" She urged, wanting to know everything.

"We…" Jackson gulps "We had an epiphany"

"Jackson you didn't…" She send him a disproving look.

"I didn't do anything, she jump me!" he defended himself.

"Yes you were just an innocent by stander" Catherine laughed at the idea and took a sip.

"So I didn't stop her, it's not something I did to her or her to me… We did this together and that night I knew that she was everything. But I tried to convince myself otherwise many, many times"

"Where you gentle?"

"Mom!" he frowned at her "You can't just ask questions like that"

"it's just a questions, stop being such a baby Jackson. We are all adults here" she replied.

"It's still very private, please ask me something else" He begged not wanting to talk about sex with his mother.

"What happened? I know she left but than she came back to Seattle, why didn't you try to be with her?"

"We were" Jackson said rubbing the back of his neck knowing what was coming.

"Why did you guys break up?" She kept questioning him with no intentions of stopping any time soon.

"Well… She reacted to some news badly" Jackson said hoping it would be enough but it was his mother so he better just tell it straight or else she was not going to stop. "She thought she was pregnant and I told her that if she was I would marry her and give her everything she wanted and I meant it. I was in, but… When she found out she was thanking god she didn't have to and I know it sounds stupid for me to take that seriously. But she was thanking god she didn't have to marry me and it was the first time I ever wanted to marry someone and that I could see myself in that dream that everyone talks about. The house with the kids and the white picked fence I wanted that with her. Before that day I never thought I wanted that, any of it, but as complicated as it was I found myself hoping she was. It just hurt too much to see her so happy that she wasn't…It was also the first time someone hurt me that bad since dad walked away. I felt rejected, like what I was offering was not good enough… So I walked away before she walked away from be, figuring it would hurt less that way" He was not looking at his mom anymore, he was looking at the condensation of his glass.

"Jackson-" Catherine was about to comfort him but Jackson didn't give her a chance to.

"I know better now mom don't worry. but that's what happened and I moved on the best way I knew how, by being with someone else. She moved on too and I thought it was over" And how wrong he was, he felt stupid for wasting so much time when it came to her.

"And now that you know is not… Are you going to marry her?" She asked again.

"We are doing things right this time, taking it step by step. But yes I have every intention to, we are just being careful, we want to get it right this time" He explained himself.

"Baby you already got it right because you have chosen each other" She said trying to make him see what she saw.

"Yeah well…I want to make sure nothing goes wrong this time, that's all"

"I see" Said Catherine "So…No grandbabies anytime soon"

"Mom!

* * *

It was the end of the day, her shift was finally over. There were no major trauma's but the ER was full the whole day which was exhausting, she was happy to be done. April had just changed out of her scrubs and when she came back to the lounge, and like Deja vu she found Jackson waiting for her there. "Are you stalking me and waiting or something" She teased him.

"No, you are the one that is following me" Jackson told her "You knew where I was going to be and when so you show up early trying to cover your tracks"

"You caught me! Here I thought I was being sneaky" she played along and she threw her bag over her shoulder.

The thought of April being sneaky made him laugh, he could not imagine her being subtle or tying to hide her intentions. "Yeah okay…Hey so I checked the schedule and I notice you have this upcoming Thursday off and I worked it so I have it off too. I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me?"

April lips broke into a big bright smile "Jackson Avery… Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Only if you say yes"

"Yes, I would love to go out with you" She said with a small laugh. Jackson lowered his lips to kiss her but she put her hand over them stopping him before they crashed into her "Not in the hospital Jackson, I thought we agreed to that. At least not yet, it's too soon"

"Come on, no one is around to see" He said taking her hand away from his lips "I'll make it quick" without any warning he kissed her, with no intention on making it short and sweet. He kissed her like he wanted to kiss her this morning, holding nothing back.

"Jackson" she said his name between kisses before pulling away "You said it would be quick"

He shamelessly smiled at her "I know…Come on, I'll walk you to your car" They both excited the Lounge and held back any urge to hold each other's hand like they needed to give people more reason to look at them. They could be standing in the same room and people would invent all sorts of stories. Someone probably watched them leave together and they thought of how they are going home together and how inconsiderate they were.

"This is me" April said as they finally got to her car.

"This is… Last time we were together we use to go home together, this is hard" he admitted rubbing his face.

"I know, I'm sorry" She said opening the door and throwing her bag in before facing him again "Don't worry, it will all be worth it in the end"

"April Kepner… I thought I knew you, I never knew you could be such a tease" He joked around as he moved his arms around her "I like it"

"I don't mean it like that!" She turned red at his words "I mean that we will have a good healthy relationship"

"I know, but I like the Idea of you being a evil tease better" Jackson said before kissing her once again with out warning.

April felt more at ease, seeing that it was dark, and they weren't inside the hospital. There was only so much she could when Jackson had his arms around her, and was kissing her like that. There was only one thing she could do and that was to kiss him back.

"I see you Kepner!" someone screamed making them pull apart quickly and looking for the source. the turned to see Alex Karev with a grin on his face and Jo Wilson saying something, obviously scowling him.

"Dammit Alex" Jackson said only audible to him and April. "Karev why don't you get a life" he screamed back at his friend.

"As soon as you get a room" Alex said before hopping into his car with Jo.

April shook her head and laughed "I should not be laughing at this"

"It's okay, at least it wasn't Stephanie" Jackson could not even think about what if it would have been her.

"Alright, I should go" She pulled him down to peck his lips "Can't wait for our date" she said before slipping into the drivers seat.

"Call me when you get home" He told her as he closed her door art watcher her drive away.

* * *

Review and tell me what you think or what you'd like to see.

Next Chapter

First date

More sexual tension

More Japril goodness

Stay Tuned!


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